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that；　during　my　first　stay　in　the　city；　over　forty　years　before；



nearly　all　the　main　buildings　were　of　brick　and　stucco；　whereas



there　had　now　been　a　remarkable　change　from　stucco　to　stone　and



to　a　much　nobler　style　of　architecture。　We　also　discussed　the



standing　of　Germans　in　America　and　their　relations　to　the　United



States。　On　my　remarking　that　it　was　just　eighteen　years　and　one



day　since　the　first　Emperor　William　had　received　me　as　minister



in　that　same　palace；　he　spoke　of　various　things　in　the　history　of



the　intervening　years；　and　then　ensued　an　episode　such　as　I　had



hardly　expected。　For　just　before　leaving　New　York　my　old　friend



Frederick　William　Holls；　after　a　dinner　at　his　house　on　the



Hudson；　had　given　his　guests　examples　of　the　music　written　by



Frederick　the　Great；　and　one　piece　had　especially　interested　us。



It　was　a　duet　in　which　Mr。　Holls　played　one　part　upon　the　organ；



and　his　wife　another　upon　the　piano；　and　all　of　us　were　greatly



impressed　by　the　dignity　and　beauty　of　the　whole。　It　had　been



brought　to　light　and　published　by　the　present　Emperor；　and　after



the　performance　some　one　of　the　party　remarked；　in　a　jocose　way；



〃You　should　express　our　thanks　to　his　Majesty；　when　you　meet　him；



for　the　pleasure　which　this　music　has　given　us。〃　I　thought



nothing　more　of　the　subject　until；　just　at　the　close　of　the



conversation　above　referred　to；　it　came　into　my　mind；　and　on　my



mentioning　it　the　Emperor　showed　at　once　a　special　interest；



discussing　the　music　from　various　points　of　view；　and　on　my



telling　him　that　we　were　all　surprised　that　it　was　not



amateurish；　but　really　profound　in　its　harmonies　and　beautiful　in



its　melodies；　he　dwelt　upon　the　musical　debt　of　Frederick　the



Great　to　Bach　and　the　special　influence　of　Bach　upon　him。　This



conversation　recurred　to　me　later；　when　the　Emperor；　in　erecting



the　statue　to　Frederick　the　Great　on　the　Avenue　of　Victory；



placed　on　one　side　of　it　the　bust　of　Marshal　Schwerin；　and　on　the



other　that　of　Johann　Sebastian　Bach；　thus　honoring　the　two　men



whom　he　considered　most　important　during　Frederick's　reign。







After　presenting　my　embassy　secretaries　and　attaches；　military



and　naval；　I　was　conducted　with　them　into　the　presence　of　the



Empress；　who　won　all　our　hearts　by　her　kindly；　unaffected



greeting。　On　my　recalling　her　entrance　into　Berlin　as　a　bride；　in



her　great　glass　coach；　seventeen　years　before；　on　one　of　the



coldest　days　I　ever　knew；　she　gave　amusing　details　of　her　stately



progress　down　the　Linden　on　that　occasion；　and　in　response　to　my



congratulations　upon　her　six　fine　boys　and　her　really　charming



little　daughter；　it　was　pleasant　to　see　how







　〃One　touch　of　nature　makes　the　whole　world　kin；〃







her　eyes　lighting　up　with　pride　and　joy；　and　her　conversation



gladly　turning　to　the　children。







It　may　be　added　here　that　the　present　Empress　seems　to　have



broken　the　unfortunate　spell　which　for　about　half　a　century　hung



over　the　queens　and　empresses　of　the　house　of　Hohenzollern。　I



remember　well　that；　among　the　Germans　whom　I　knew　in　my



Berlin…University　days；　all　the　sins　of　the　period；　political　and



religious；　seemed　to　be　traced　to　the　influence　of　Queen



Elizabeth；　the　consort　of　the　reigning　King　Frederick　William　IV；



and　that；　during　my　first　official　stay　in　the　same　capital　as



minister；　a　similar　feeling　was　shown　toward　the　Empress　Augusta；



in　spite　of　her　most　kindly　qualities　and　her　devotion　to　every



sort　of　charitable　work；　and　that　the　crown　princess；　afterward



the　Empress　Frederick；　in　spite　of　all　her　endowments　of　head　and



heart；　was　apparently　more　unpopular　than　either　of　her　two



predecessors。　But　the　present　Empress　seems　to　have　changed　all



this；　and；　doubtless；　mainly　by　her　devotion　to　her　husband　and



her　children；　which　apparently　excludes　from　her　mind　all　care



for　the　great　problems　of　the　universe　outside　her　family。　So



strong　is　this　feeling　of　kindness　toward　her　that　it　was　comical



to　see；　at　one　period　during　my　stay；　when　she　had　been　brought



perilously　near　a　most　unpopular　course　of　action；　that　everybody



turned　at　once　upon　her　agent　in　the　matter；　saying　nothing　about



her；　but　belaboring　him　unmercifully；　though　he　was　one　of　the



most　attractive　of　men。







These　presentations　being　finished；　our　return　to　the　Kaiserhof



Hotel　was　made　with　the　same　ceremony　as　that　with　which　we　had



come　to　the　palace；　and　happy　was　I　when　all　was　over。







Of　the　other　official　visits　at　this　time；　foremost　in　importance



was　that　to　the　chancellor　of　the　empire；　Prince　Hohenlohe。



Although　he　was　then　nearly　eighty　years　old　and　bent　with　age；



his　mind　in　discussing　public　matters　was　entirely　clear。　Various



later　conversations　with　him　also　come　back　to　meone；



especially；　at　a　dinner　he　gave　at　the　chancellor's　palace　to



President　Harrison。　On　my　recalling　the　fact　that　we　were　in　the



room　where　I　had　first　dined　with　Bismarck；　Prince　Hohenlohe　gave



a　series　of　reminiscences　of　his　great　predecessor；　some　of　them



throwing　a　strong　light　upon　his　ideas　and　methods。　On　one



occasion；　at　my　own　table；　he　spoke　very　thoughtfully　on　German



characteristics；　and　one　of　his　remarks　surprised　me：　it　was　that



the　besetting　sin　of　the　Germans　is　envy　（Neid）；　in　which　remark



one　may　see　a　curious　tribute　to　the　tenacity　of　the　race；　since



Tacitus　justified　a　similar　opinion。　He　seemed　rather　melancholy；



but　he　had　a　way　of　saying　pungent　things　very　effectively；　and



one　of　these　attributed　to　him　became　widely　known。　He　was



publicly　advocating　a　hotly　contested　canal　bill；　when　an



opponent　said；　〃You　will　find　a　solid　rock　in　the　way　of　this



measure〃；　to　which　the　chancellor　rejoined；　〃We　will　then　do　with



the　rock　as　Moses　did：　we　will　smite　it　and　get　water　for　our



canal。〃







As　to　the　next　visit　of　importance；　I　was　especially　glad　to　find



at　the　Foreign　Office　the　newly　appointed　minister；　Baron　（now



Count）　von　Bulow。　During　the　first　part　of　my　former　stay；　as



minister；　I　had　done　business　at　the　Foreign　Office　with　his



father；　and　found　him　in　every　respect　a　most　congenial



representative　of　the　German　Government。　It　now　appeared　that



father　and　son　were　amazingly　like　each　other；　not　only　in



personal　manner；　but　in　their　mode　of　dealing　with　public



affairs。　With　the　multitude　of　trying　questions　which　pressed



upon　me　as　ambassador　during　nearly　six　years；　it　hardly　seems



possible　that　I　should　be　still　alive　were　it　not　for　the　genial；



hearty　intercourse；　at　the　Foreign　Office　and　elsewhere；　with



Count　von　Bulow。　Sundry　German　papers；　indeed；　attacked　him　as



yielding　to　much　to　me；　and　sundry　American　papers　attacked　me



for　yielding　too　much　to　him；　but　both　of　us　exerted　ourselves　to



do　the　best　possible；　each　for　his　own　country；　and　at　the　same



time　to　preserve　peace　and　increase　good　feeling。







Interesting　was　it　to　me；　from　my　first　to　my　last　days　in



Berlin；　to　watch　him　in　the　discharge　of　his　great　duties；



especially　in　his　dealings　with　hostile　forces　in　Parliament。　No



contrast　could　be　more　marked　than　that　between　his　manner　and



that　of　his　great　predecessor；　the　iron　chancellor。　To　begin



with；　no　personalities　could　be　more　unlike。　In　the　place　of　an



old　man；　big；　rumbling；　heavy；　fiery；　minatory；　objurgatory；



there　now　stood　a　young　man；　quiet；　self…possessed；　easy　in



speech；　friendly　in　manner；　〃sweet　reasonableness〃　apparently　his



main　characteristic；　bubbling　at　times　with　humor；　quick　to　turn



a　laugh　on　a　hostile　bungler；　but　never　cruel；　prompt　in



returning　a　serious　thrust；　but　never　venomous。　Many　of　his



speeches　were　masterpieces　in　their　way　of　handling　opponents。　An



attack　which　Bismarck　would　have　met　with　a　bludgeon；　Bulow



parried　with　weapons　infinitely　lighter；　but　in　some　cases　really



more　effective。　A　very　good　example　was　on　an　occasion　when　the



old　charge　of　〃Byzantinism〃　was　flung　at　the　present　regime；　to



which　he　replied；　not　by　a　historical　excursus　or　political



disquisition；　but　by　humorously　deprecating　a　comparison　of　the



good；　kindly；　steady…going；　hard…working　old　privy　councilors　and



other　state　officials　of　Berlin　with　fanatics；　conspirators；　and



assassins　who　played　leading　parts　at　Constantinople　during　the



decline　of　the　Eastern　Empire。　In　the　most　stormy　discussions　I



never　saw　him　other　than　serene；　under　real　provocation　he



remained　kindly；　more　than　one　bitter　opponent　he　disarmed　with　a



retort；　but　there　were　no　poisoned　wounds。　The　German　Parliament；



left　to　itself；　can　hardly　be　a　peaceful　body。　The　lines　of



cleavage　between　parties　are　many；　and　some　of　them　are　old



chasms　of　racial　dislike　and　abysses　of　religious　and　social



hate；　but　the　appearance　of　the　young　chancellor　at　his　desk



seemed；　even　on　the　darkest　days；　to　bring　sunshine。







Occasionally；　during　my　walks　in　the　Thiergarten；　I　met　him　on



his　way　to　Parliament；　and；　no　matter　how　pressing　public



business　might　be；　he　found　time　to　extend　his　walk　and　prolong



our　discussions。　On　one　of　these　walks　I　alluded　to　a　hot　debate



of　the　day　before　and　to　his　suavity　under　provocation；　when　he



answered：　〃Old　；　many　years　ago；　gave　me　two　counsels；　and　I



have　always　tried　to　mind　them。　These　were：　'Never　worry；　never



lose　your　temper。'　〃







A　pet　phrase　among　his　critics　is　that　he　is　a　diplomatist　and



no